Tom Harrisson, noted turtle scientist and conservationist, first began turtle observations as curator of the Sarawak Museum in Borneo and as chief executive officer of the Sarawak Turtle Board, posts to which he was appointed in 1947. His activities included turtle tagging, hatching young turtles, and keeping detailed records of eggs collected. In 1974 he was appointed co-chair, with Archie F. Carr, Jr., of the Marine Turtle Specialist Group (MTSG) of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Survival Services Commission (SSC), and undertook a reorganization of the group.

Upon retiring from Sarawak, Harrisson joined the Southeast Asian studies faculty at Cornell University (1967-68) and for the remainder of his life was involved with IUCN activities and as director of the Mass-Observation Archive at the University of Sussex. Harrisson died along with his third wife, Barronne Christine Forani, in a traffic accident in Thailand, January, 1976. Before assuming his duties in Borneo, Harrisson had been active in mass observation in his native England. Earlier in his life, he attended Pembroke College, Cambridge, participated in several scientific expeditions, and lived among native tribes in the Pacific. He was the author of numerous books, primarily based on his experiences in the Pacific and on mass observation. He was the author of many articles, but no published books on turtles. (Cf. Who Was Who, 1971-1980).

The Harrison Papers document his career as a turtle researcher and conservationist during his tenure as curator of the Sarawak Museum and as an active member of the SSC of the IUCN and as co-chair of its Marine Turtle Specialist Group. The Papers contain many of Harrisson's complete manuscripts, including the book length Turtle Island, his turtle notes and observation records from 1947, correspondence, some published writings, manuscripts and secondary materials of other writers, and his IUCN files. A very small portion of the Papers are more personal, or relate to subjects other than turtles.

Harrisson was closely associated with Archie Carr, whose presence and influence is very noticeable in the Papers. Many of the correspondents and topics are the same as in the Carr Papers, and there is doubtless duplication. Harrisson's Papers often expand the point of view found in Carr's Papers and are rich in details of certain geographic areas, notably Malaysia and Indonesia, but also other islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Harrisson's IUCN files are more extensive than Carr's. Researchers on turtle topics are advised to consult both the Carr and the Harrisson Papers.

Condition: At some point, some of the Papers became wet. In addition to moisture damage, this caused clips and staples to rust extraordinarily, resulting in further deterioration.

There was little apparent order to the Papers, as received by the library. It appears that Harrisson had cannibalized his own correspondence, manuscripts, and notes as well as the secondary material of other writers to create subject files, indicated by the red script found on many papers, probably for use in his intended book, Turtle Island. Many apparently disparate item were found together, however, and items on the same subjects were dispersed throughout the papers. Rather than restore these subject files, the attempt has been to restore papers to the units in which they were created.

They have then been assigned to either a Sarawak series or IUCN series, and grouped by type and subject. There is some overlap between the two series, as Harrisson was a MTSG member before he left Sarawak, but the bulk of the IUCN Papers are from the time he became co-chair in 1974, after leaving Sarawak, or are clearly identified as IUCN business.

There are two sources of the Harrisson Papers. In 1975, Harrisson, through his ex-wife Barbara, sent some of his papers to Archie Carr at the University of Florida. Barbara wrote Carr: "T.H. has asked me to send on his files relative of his work on turtles in Sarawak and internationally. Essentially these are unsorted working papers in loose-leaf form, stacked within file-covers; but there are some exercise books and other miscellaneous records.
Some of these files date back to early turtle work out of the Sarawak Museum and
Sarawak's turtle islands, and have archive value. There are also some maps." Carr acknowledged receipt of the manuscripts.

In 1978, following Harrisson's death, Carr was asked to accept additional Harrisson Papers. There is no way of determining which items belong to which batch. The Papers remained in Carr's possession until his death, after which they were donated, along with his own Papers, to the George A. Smathers Libraries, by his widow, Marjorie Harris Carr. A folder on the provenance of the Harrisson Papers is stored in the first box.

Most of these Papers were created during Harrisson's tenure as curator of the Sarawak Museum and executive officer of the Turtle Board and relate to Turtle Islands of Borneo. Some of the manuscripts were written later, but still derive from Harrisson's Borneo experiences. A few items are out of this scope altogether, but any papers not relating to IUCN activities are in this series. The major manuscript in the Papers is Turtle Island, a book length manuscript which Harrisson began in 1963, but apparently never finished. Two long variant drafts exists and many of the shorter manuscripts and notes were apparently intended for inclusion, as were many sources of information which he collected. Although Harrisson never completed a book on turtles, he authored many articles of the subject, most of which were published in the Sarawak Museum Journal, cited as S.M.J., of which he was editor. Manuscripts of several of these are included. A list of his published turtle writings may be found in the Sea Turtle Bibliography, available online through the University of Florida's Library User Information Service (LUIS).Three separate islands, Talang Talang Besar, Talang Talang Kechil, and Satang Besar, compose the Sarawak Turtle Islands. They are often referred to herein as Talang2 Besar, Talang2 Kechil, or simply as Besar, Kechil, and Satung.

Published Articles by Harrisson, Biographical Information, and Manuscripts

"Hawksbill and Loggerhead: Various Special Features," a. and typed notes, 6/27/1965

1

Hawksbill Eggs and Nest Making - Satang," typed and a. notes, 6/30/65

1

"Hawksbill Relaxation" [Ms. is a comparative study of Hawksbill, Green and Loggerhead turtles. This title may have been intended only as a section caption] Typed ms., 50 p., and a.ms. of several sections, [ca.1959]

"Turtle Islands of Borneo and Turtle Soup," typed ms., as submitted to the Sunday Times, published as "Must the Turtle Die?"] April 13, 1964

2

"Turtle Notes, 1965: Satung," typed, May 1, 1965

2

Turtle Prehistory and Evolution, notes by T.H., 1963

2

Turtle Rearing Report, typed note, July 5, 1959

2

"Turtles," 2 typed mss., labelled S.M.J., and S.M.J. 13 [ca.1959]

2

"Turtles," typed ms., 11p., possibly intended as chapter 15 in Turtle Island. Portions of the text are the same as "Must the Turtle Die?" The folder also contains a fragmentary second copy, with annotations, and a. notes which may pertain to the ms. [between 1962 and 1975]

Survey of Turtle Products and Correspondence with Angela King (Friends of the Earth) 1974.

7

Turtle Tagging Data Format (Aug. 1974).

IUCN Correspondence, 1965-1975 (by year)

Box

7

IUCN/World Wildlife Fund Correspondence, 1965-1968.

7

IUCN - Correspondence, 1965-1969.

7

IUCN - Correspondence, 1970-1972.

7

IUCN - Correspondence, 1973.

7

IUCN - Correspondence, 1974.

7

IUCN - Correspondence, 1975.

Mariculture, 1969-1975

The question of raising turtles commercially for food and other uses caused a major controversy among turtle conservationists. The leading example of this type of activity was Mariculture, ltd., located on Grand Cayman Island. This file documents the response of leading sea turtle experts, as expressed through the MTSG, and indicates how divisive the questions was to the group. An extensive Mariculture file is also found in the Carr Papers.

The following folders contain a variety of materials relating to turtle conservation and research in various parts of the world, usually having some relationship to the IUCN. Many are applications for IUCN/World Wildlife Fund grants. See also the IUCN/WWF Joint Project File in the general IUCN section (Box 7).